First allow me to say that I am a computer dummy. Through diligent troubleshooting, I solved this problem for me. I have an older computer with XP SP3. Last month, relatively shortly after receiving MS updates, my svchost started showing 99% of CPU usage, and really bogged my computer down. Not knowing about this forum at the time, I completely re-installed my OS which was XP SP2 and IE6. I went to Microsoft Updates and could get no updates to show, so I called Microsoft. The lady that I spoke with on the phone told me that you cannot receive updates through MS without SP3, and you can't get SP3 without IE8, and that you needed IE8 to get SP3 and without doing those updates, you wouldn't be able to get MS updates..her reason was because XP will be discontinued shortly. So... I found an SP3 download somewhere online for XP, and loaded it into my computer, then I used a saved IE8 setup that I had saved (I ALWAYS save programs like these in an external HD just for this purpose.) Anyway after then loading IE8, I was able to get MS updates to work. This solved the Svchost problem. Then yesterday, again after installing updates delivered by Automatic Updates, my task manager showed the problem had returned. I used Google chrome, and found this forum and tried MANY of the suggestions here, and nothing worked for the svchost problem unless I turned Automatic Updates OFF. I tried to see if I could updates from the Microsoft Update web site, and my CPU immediately shot up to 100% and no updates would show, just the endless "Checking for Updates". After 20 minutes I quit the website and tried slipstreaming updates using a service recommended on this forum. The updates downloaded, but when trying to install them, the CPU shot up again, even with Automatic Updates OFF, and the updates that were downloaded wouldn't install. I even installed IE updated listed here on this forum without success. SO... being very frustrated I just sat and pondered a moment. I deduced because of what that lady told me last month, that either the MS Update applet was corrupted, or my IE8 was corrupted. Since I couldn't find how to uninstall "Microsoft Updates". I thought I'd try re-installing IE8. Wouldn't you just know it, ouila, I was able to get MS Updates to work, and the svchost no longer shot up to 100%. I imagine that one of the updates installed yesterday did something to IE8, and corrupted it. I will say also that I did turn off Automatic updates, and that also fixed the problem, but I think doing that only dealt with the symptom and not the problem. Anyway now, everything works good. I dread that MS is cutting of support for XP, as I've had it since 2005, and I know it thoroughly and hate change, etc,etc.etc. Hope this might help someone. Seems almost too simple to have worked, but it did.

i too have been having this issue as a Point of sale Tech, we have over 250 pos terminals with 3 variations of windows XP on them( WEPOS, POSReady2009, Windows XP)

after reading over this entire thread i have come to realize Microsoft are working on the problem but are haven't actually fixed it. and TBH for someone in my situation with over 250 PCs to take care of installing a cumulative patch once a month is BS!!!

now that i have had my rant, here is what i have found. on 99% of the computers we have resorted to just turning the updates off via windows update and disabling the automatic updates service in services does in fact stop the problem from comming back. but it doesnt help us get the updates......

so after studying one of the PCs in house i saw that inside the SVChost.exe wuauclt.exe was chewing the CPU usage (using processexplorer) so i went looking for it.

i managed to find that in c:\windows\system32 there is an EXE called wuauclt.exe and right underneath it is wuauclt1.exe, strange right?

so for lack of ideas i renamed the original and to wuaucltexe.old and renamed the one underneath wuauclt1.exe to wuauclt.exe and rebooted.

2 months later still no problems with this PC and windows updates are turned on. this is the only PC i have done it with as im not 100% sure it is safe......

i have attached a picture to this post to show you what i ment. if anybody is willing give it a go and post results

Cheers

Brendon.

Attached Images

I would say it has something to do with IE, 6 7 and 8. Since the first time when it happened, after I installed the Oct IE cumulative update, it was sweet as. I could go to WU and it worked. Same thing happened for the Nov, and Dec 2013 updates that came out for XP. I had to install the IE cumulative update first before WU would work again. This also stopped svchost.exe from hogging the CPU

And, so the windowsupdate icon would appear on the taskbar. The icon never appeared on the taskbar (if I didnt install the IE update first). As soon as I installed the IE update, the icon appeared. Dont think stopping services and disabling WU is the fix. This is in XP mode.

Thankfully if XP updates stop in Apr next yr, I can use Nlite to slipstream all the updates

i too have been having this issue as a Point of sale Tech, we have over 250 pos terminals with 3 variations of windows XP on them( WEPOS, POSReady2009, Windows XP)

after reading over this entire thread i have come to realize Microsoft are working on the problem but are haven't actually fixed it. and TBH for someone in my situation with over 250 PCs to take care of installing a cumulative patch once a month is BS!!!

now that i have had my rant, here is what i have found. on 99% of the computers we have resorted to just turning the updates off via windows update and disabling the automatic updates service in services does in fact stop the problem from comming back. but it doesnt help us get the updates......

so after studying one of the PCs in house i saw that inside the SVChost.exe wuauclt.exe was chewing the CPU usage (using processexplorer) so i went looking for it.

i managed to find that in c:\windows\system32 there is an EXE called wuauclt.exe and right underneath it is wuauclt1.exe, strange right?

so for lack of ideas i renamed the original and to wuaucltexe.old and renamed the one underneath wuauclt1.exe to wuauclt.exe and rebooted.

2 months later still no problems with this PC and windows updates are turned on. this is the only PC i have done it with as im not 100% sure it is safe......

i have attached a picture to this post to show you what i ment. if anybody is willing give it a go and post results

Cheers

Brendon.

Signed up to say thanks Brendon, we also support shop tills (although on a much smaller scale) and this fixed the issue for us. Thanks for taking the time to post.

Tried this out; fixed the issue with svchost cpu usage, but made Windows update site inaccessible (would not load). Reverting back the wuauclt.exe lets Windows update load, but then the cpu usage is back.

The IE6 link worked for me on a clean SP3 install of XP Pro in Hyper-V. The VM was stuck at 100% CPU usage for well over an hour, installed that update and about 30 seconds later i was able to use Windows Update.

I don't know about anyone else, but within the last year MS did something to Windows update for XP which has caused, even on fresh installs, SVCHOST to RAPE the CPU at 100%

for the past 2 years i've been using the same XP install Sp3 discs. On a fresh install I would run windows updates it would check for updates and under 30 seconds it would ask for the WGA update and then would proceed to show me the other 100 updates.

Now even on clean installs SVCHOST molests the CPU at 100% for a good 4+ Minutes before showing you the updates. You click install and then before it downloads them it molests the CPU at 100% for another few mins.

Has anyone else noticed this within the last year?

Please no "XP? HAHAHA" .. comments!.

My grandfather had this issue recently too. Only way I was able to make it stop was turning automatic updates off . They currently don't even have it connected to the internet though and only use it for one very specific program so I just left it disabled.

My grandfather had this issue recently too. Only way I was able to make it stop was turning automatic updates off . They currently don't even have it connected to the internet though and only use it for one very specific program so I just left it disabled.

Had a customer bring his computer into my office yesterday. Because it was so slow. The issue is when the 100% kicks in on Svchost it BRINGS MACHINES TO THEIR KNEES! In this case I tried all the fixes and nothing helped. Was even going to uninstall IE 8 and reinstall it. He decided to replace the machine and get a new one. It was pretty old.

For fun i just let the computer sit to see how long it would take. It was still going at 100% after 1 1/2 hours. So finally I just killed it and shut the computer off because he was going to get a new one anyway. This was an old Celeron from 2004 or earlier.

Food for though, imagine how many XP machines are out there are having this exact problem, rendering the computer unusable.